Wanna Play?
by mellifluous cloud
Summary: Annie wants to play a game. Carey doesn't. Chaos ensues. This story is complete! It only took four years...
1. Pizza Delivery

Chapter One TITLE: Wanna Play?  
AUTHOR: JackPhillipsGirl  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own So Weird or its characters.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please excuse my sorry attempts at humor. Basically what happened is Tabetha (Tablynvan) had a challenge to write a story, based on the roll of a die and the random picks from a deck of cards. My challenge turned out to be to write a humor/supernatural fic starring Carey. And this is what I've come up with so far.  
  


Chapter One

"Hi Carey!"

I groaned loudly at the sound of the giggly voice on the other end of the line. "How the hell did you get my private number?" I demanded. I already had it changed three times in the past month.

"Wanna come over and play?" Annie went on, not bothering to answer my question.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pl—"

"ANNIE SHUT UP!" I screamed. There was silence on the other end of the line and I almost felt bad for what I had said. Taking a deep breath, I added as calmly as possible, "I just don't really feel good, that's all. I have a headache." It really wasn't that much of a lie given the current situation. "Maybe another time, okay?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, genuinely sounding concerned. "I'll stop bothering you," she added. Well at the least the girl knew when to take a hint.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. She didn't say anything and before she could, I decided to take advantage of the opportune time to end the conversation. "Bye!"

I hung up the phone before she even had a chance to return it. Now the question was, how did Annie get my phone number? I hadn't told _anyone _about it yet because it was changed only yesterday. And why did Annie always have to call me anyway? Didn't she have Jack or even Molly to pester when she was bored?

The doorbell rang just then and I sighed. Not another one of those; Mom wasn't too happy when she found out that I blew all my money on Girl Scouts cookies last week. It's not my fault that they're so delicious. And only $3 a box! It wouldn't just be wrong, but immoral to refuse that offer. "Is anyone going to get that?" I shouted. No reply, and no sound of footsteps leading to the door, either. The doorbell rang again and I shuffled down the stairs in aggravation. _Just say no, _I reminded myself. _Just remember that there are still eight boxes of Thin Mints left in the cabinet and those butter shortbread ones weren't that good anyway, _my internal pep talk continued. I threw open the door and someone who was clearly not a Girl Scout stood on the front porch.

"Hi," a boy of about five and half feet with thick-rimmed glasses and freckles greeted me, awkwardly holding out a wide, thin rectangular box.

"Um, we didn't order pizza," I told him.

He stared at me nervously, clearly unsure of what to do in this situation. He was obviously new at this job. "Are you Mr. Ned Bell?" he asked, his voice squeaking on the word "mister".

It was painful to see the boy in such a nervous wreck. Dad must have ordered pizza, although why, I had no idea. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon, too late for lunch, but too early for dinner. I sighed and reached into my back pocket for my wallet. "Here you go," I said, forcing a friendly smile in hopes that it would perhaps calm him down. He threw the box into my arms and thrust the change in my awaiting hand before running, terrified, back to his car. I was surprised he could even drive; he didn't look any older than maybe fifteen at the most. I stood there in the doorway watching him just to make sure he didn't crash into any lampposts or mailboxes before finally closing the door.

"Dad?" I called, retreating to the kitchen and placing the box on the table. "Did you order a pizza?" Silence. I stood there for a moment, listening for movement, but there was nothing. "Dad?" I shouted again, louder this time. "Mom?" Weren't they home only ten minutes ago? Another sigh of frustration escaped me. Didn't they have the decency to even let me know when they were leaving? And you'd think that Dad wouldn't leave the house right after ordering a pizza.

The pizza: I grinned at it now, rubbing my hands together. I might as well take advantage of this golden opportunity, right? I mean that's probably why Dad ordered it, for me to have—why else would he have left? I sat down at the table, eagerly flipped open the lid and grabbed a slice. First holding it to my face to savor the aroma, I inhaled deeply. "Mmmm…" I murmured. Then I stuffed the whole thing in my mouth. "Ohmph, dish ish good!" I marveled out loud, my mouth full of food.

"Now aren't you too sick to be eating pizza?"


	2. A Cherry Slurpee from 7Up

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I screamed, which of course is never a wise idea when you have a mouth full of food. The pizza quickly lodged itself in my throat and I could feel myself losing the ability to breathe.

"Oh my God!" Annie yelled, gaping at me with wide eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you like that!" She grabbed my arm harshly and yanked me off the chair with force that I never knew that girl held in her. Now her arms were around my stomach and I watched in horror as her hand formed a fist. "Don't move, I know Heimlich!"

"NO!" I screamed, leaping away and holding out my arms in defense. Somehow her announcement was enough to scare my body's functions back into operating normally. "Really, I'm okay now," I told her, taking cautious steps backward in fear that she'd jump at me again.

"Oh, okay," she replied, shrugging. "So what's up?" she asked, settling into another chair and grabbing a slice of pizza from the box.

"How did you get into my house?" And to think, I thought she actually got the hint when I told her that I didn't want to come over.

"Well, I came in through the bathroom window," Annie replied casually. "But anywho, enough of this frivolity," she added, bouncing in her chair. "When I heard you had a headache, I bought you something to make you feel better!" She stood up and walked from the room for a second that was far too short. When she returned, she held out a clear plastic cup with a lid and a straw containing some sort of red substance. God how I hoped Annie hadn't been concocting her magic genie potion again; that was always a disaster. With a smile on her face, she held it out to me expectantly. "Well? Aren't you going to take it?"

"Um… what is it?"

"Why it's a cherry slurpee from 7-Up!" Annie declared proudly.

"Don't you mean 7-Eleven?" Her blank stare told me all I needed to know and I just shook my head slightly. "Never mind. Thanks…"

"Sure, no problem," she replied, the nonchalant mood back again. "I just thought it'd make you feel better." If only Annie knew that cold drinks really weren't good for your head. But I didn't have a headache anyway, so it didn't matter. She continued to munch on the same slice of pizza, and to make her happy, I actually drank the whole slurpee. Maybe she would leave after seeing that I actually did have it, but no such luck.

"So what do you want to do now?" she asked with wide eyes, once I had finished.

I gulped. "Um—shouldn't you be heading home? I mean Molly probably could use your help with making dinner and you know, I think I still might be a little sick…"

"Oh, Carey, you're so silly sometimes," Annie replied with a giggle. "That's why I'm here, to make you feel better!" I sighed and shut my eyes tightly in exasperation. "Oh no—did you fall asleep?"

Was she really so stupid? And then—could this actually work? If she thought I was asleep, would she leave? I didn't say anything and let my head start to fall to one side. Bad idea.

"CAREY WAKE UP!" Annie screamed, grabbing my shoulders and slamming me violently against the chair.

My eyes flew open and I hurriedly shoved her away. "I'm up, I'm up!"

"Oh, thank goodness," she said, calmly falling back into her chair. "So what do you want to do?" she asked again.

"I already told you, I—"

"I brought the talking board!" she announced happily, whipping it out from behind her back. I stared at it in confusion. How had she possibly managed to keep it hidden this whole time?

"How did you—" I began.

"Wanna play?"

"Not particularly."

She looked away sadly. "But I thought this was something fun we could do together…" Annie whimpered.

I groaned. Was there really no way out other than to give in? "Fine, fine, I'll do it. But not for too long," I added quickly.

"Yippee!" She placed the board in the center of the table with the message indicator in the center of it. "Now for talking board to work we have to be very gentle and patient," she informed me in a very serious tone of voice.

"Annie, I've used it before, remember?"

"We cannot confuse the talking board."

"Annie—" But it wasn't worth the trouble repeating. Then another question came to mind. "Hey, isn't it normally called a Ouija board?"

She glared at me. "This one _isn't_. This one is _special_."

Jeez, I didn't think she'd get so moody over it. I decided that would be the last question I asked, until Annie decided that I would be asking the Ouija—I mean _talking_—board the first question. I sighed but didn't argue. It was easier that way.

I placed my hands besides hers on the indicator. "Tell us, oh mystical talking board, do you know where my dad is?" I asked sarcastically, provoking another angry glare from Annie. It began to move and I watched as the letters formed.

"C… H… A… D," Annie read slowly.

"Chad?" I asked skeptically, raising my eyebrows. "My dad's in Chad? Gee. I never would have guessed."

Annie moved the indicator back to the center of the board. "Okay, now it's my turn!" she said excitedly. "Who does Carey like?"

"Ha, ha, very funny," I told her. Then I watched in horror as it began to head straight for M. I pulled my hands back quickly. "You know, I suddenly don't feel so good. I think I drank that slurpee too fast—yeah, I'm gonna go lie down now." I stood up and walked toward the family room.

She sighed and let go as well. "Okay. I guess we can continue this some other time. I should probably go home."

Whoa—she was actually leaving? For real? I held back the urge to pump my fists in the air. "Alright. Thanks for keeping me company," I said, forcing a bright smile. "See ya around, kiddo." I cringed. Why did that word _always _pop out when I spoke to her? It was like I had no control over saying it.

"Bye-bye." A minute later she was gone. I let out a sigh of relief and fell back onto the couch, because suddenly, I really _didn't _feel too good. It wasn't long before I closed my eyes and drifted off into dreamland.


	3. Eerily Colorful

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

__

This isn't my room. It's not the most comforting thought to wake up to, but I had. This didn't feel like my bed, and the air smelled faintly of a vanilla scent. A _feminine _scent. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. This wasn't even my house! A Backstreet Boy in the poster on the wall was staring at me, and it was creeping me out. But the framed photograph of Annie and her mother on the night table was even creepier.

And then it hit me.

My heart rate accelerated and I leaped from the bed in panic. _I'm in Annie's room! _How did this happen? I tried to think hard about where I had been when I fell asleep. After Annie left, what had I done? Wait, she left because I told her that I was sick. Then I went into the family room and… I must have fallen asleep on the couch. Was it possible that she never left? That she dragged me all the way up the street and to the Phillips' household? No way I could have slept through all that, but how else was this possible?

Wait a second! The slurpee! Damn it, Annie had drugged me! I really should have known better.

I wondered how I was ever going to explain to Jack and Molly why I was in their house, and how I got there. Glancing around the brightly colored room, I noticed how happy and eerily Annie-like that it was. I had been in here only once or twice before. Actually, I had never noticed how big the room was, although the colors were more or less blinding, so it wasn't easy to really take a good look around. It just felt a little weird, though. Even the ceiling seemed a little bit higher than usual. Maybe they had to replace it because Annie had crashed her head through the old one? She did have a passion for jumping on her bed.

The door flew open, startling me. "Hey Annie, can I borrow your calculator?" It was Jack. His gaze settled on me expectantly.

Before he did anything crazy, I said quickly, "I can explain!" And then my eyes grew wide. And then my hands flew to my throat in horror. "My voice," I whispered.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Yeah," he said. He gave me a look as he walked past me to Annie's desk, picking up her enormous translucent green calculator. He continued giving me a weird look as he retreated from the room, slowly closing the door behind him. I made a mad dash for the bathroom connecting Annie's room and Molly's and looked into the mirror.

And screamed.

__

This can't be happening. It just isn't possible. It's a dream! I desperately tried to convince myself. I had turned into a monster. Overnight, I had transformed. No, it was worse than a monster.

I was Annie.

There was a shuffling of footsteps from the staircase and from the view of the mirror, I saw Molly standing in the doorway of Annie's room. "Did you scream? Is everything all right?"

I turned and stared at her in disbelief. Was everything all right? This was a living nightmare! "Where am I?" I demanded. She stared at me blankly, and I shook my head. "No, I mean—where's Carey?"

"At his house?" She shrugged.

"Wait till I get my hands on that conniving little—"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I stopped muttering and smiled. "Yes. I'm fine!"

Molly shook her head slightly and laughed. She looked so cute like that that I almost wanted to—no, Carey, get a hold of yourself. "Well, why don't you get dressed, and then when you come downstairs, breakfast will be on the table," she suggested. I nodded, not taking my eyes off her as she retreated into the hallway. Breaking from my trance, I eyed my surroundings. There was a large wooden dresser next to the door and I hastily pulled open a drawer. _What the hell? _I thought, disgustedly shoving her clothes aside. No wonder Annie's outfits never matched. Why did she have such a horrible taste in clothes? Everything was either stretchy or strappy or too bright or too tight or all of the above. Teenage girls are crazy, especially this one. _Is there anything normal? _Finally I found it, buried on the very bottom of the drawer: a blue t-shirt. A little plain, but it would have to do. Now for pants. I yanked open her closet doors and gasped.

Let's just say that Annie has single-handedly made leopards an endangered species.

Having no other option, I grabbed one of the pants and squeezed myself into them. I threw on the shirt and scrambled down the stairs for breakfast. Sitting myself down at the table, I smiled brightly into the awaiting faces of Molly and Jack. I stabbed my fork into the pancakes and brought it to my mouth, taking my first bite of what was bound to be a _very _interesting day.


	4. Was It That Obvious?

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

It was eleven o'clock and I found myself lying on Annie's bed staring at the neon orange ceiling. Which was where I had been for the past thirteen hours.

It wasn't fair! I had been trapped in the house all day and I hadn't seen Annie once. Not once! I wanted to go find her and give her a piece of my mind, but earlier in the day I hadn't quite realized how impossible that would be. In order to see Annie, I'd have to ask Molly if I could go to "Carey's" house. But Annie had been at my house yesterday. Wouldn't Molly get suspicious of the fact that "Annie" is going to see "Carey" so often? What if she thought that we were—erm—_involved_?! My utterly available status would be destroyed! Well, you catch my drift.

The worst part of all is that Molly spent half the day at the recording studio with Annie, in my body. If that little witch did anything—I'll… um, I'll think of something. I don't want her screwing with my carefully calculated plans!

So, having nothing better to do all day, I proceeded to lock myself in Annie's room and listen to music. She has so many CDs that are either techno or French rap! But it was okay with me because I'm totally into techno. And yeah, that's just about it.

Anyway, after thirteen hours of this, I decided to call it a night. I turned off the CD player, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers up to my chin, when I heard a somewhat peculiar noise.

I was soon to discover that the night had only just begun.

My initial response was to ignore it. The room was pitch black, everyone in the house was asleep, and I certainly wasn't about to jump out of bed, turn on all the lights, and run around finding out what made the sound. Unfortunately, the answer came to me, in the form of something falling on top of me.

"What the—" I began, but my words were cut off by someone's lips on mine. Holy shit! It's Jack! What the hell is he doing kissing me—well, "Annie"? I struggled with him as I feebly tried to conceive the inconceivable.

In response to my struggling, he pulled away. "Something wrong, baby?"

__

Baby?! I did my best to hold back the contents of my stomach. "Um," I squeaked, then stopped to clear my throat. I couldn't fit the pieces together! Jack and Annie were having a secret relationship? I mean, besides the constant flirting, the little glances, the suspicious touching, it was never that obv—oh…

"Annie? You okay?" Jack asked, delicately brushing away a strand of my hair.

I took a deep breath, trying to think of a way to ask questions without sounding like a total moron. Not like it really mattered if I made Annie look like a moron, but still. "Jack? How long have we been, you know… together?"

There was a long pause. "Don't you remember?"

"I mean… it just feels like forever…"

"Well, it has been," he said decisively, nibbling at my neck.

"Jack!" I nearly shouted, pushing him away.

"Damnit Annie, you're gonna wake up Mom! What's wrong with you today?"

The idea of Molly finding out about Jack and Annie's relationship was kind of amusing, but then again, who knew how long I'd be trapped inside her body? I sighed, resolving to keep down the level of noise.

"Jack," I whispered, desperately trying to think of a way to get him away from me, "is this really all we do? Just kiss? Can't we do something else?"

I didn't realize what I'd said until after the words left my mouth.

"Oh hell yes…" he murmured, and in the darkness that my eyes had only recently adjusted to, I saw him reaching for the elastic waistband of his boxers.

"Stop!" I cried, shielding my eyes with my hand. "I didn't mean—_that!_"

"Oh," he replied, the note of disappointment in his voice unmistakable. "What did you have in mind?"

"Can't we, you know, just talk? Or something?" I was beginning to feel oddly feminine…

"Oh," he said again, in the same tone as before. "Actually, I'm starting to feel kind of tired…"

"Yeah, so am I," I added quickly.

"Yeah." Another pause. "Well, goodnight," he said, standing up.

"Goodnight," I echoed.

He stepped into the hallway. "Sweet dreams, sexy," he whispered as he closed the door behind him.

Needless to say, I was already kneeling over the toilet before it had even been closed all the way.


	5. Speak of the Devil

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I woke up the next morning still hardly able to process the events that had transpired the night before. It was simply surreal! I was already dreading whatever might happen tonight. Ugh, it was scary just to think about. Then another scary thought came to mind—what about the next night? And the night after that? What if I never got out of Annie's body?! Now I was more determined than ever to talk to her… and possibly cause some physical damage…

"Annie!" Speak of the devil. I hurriedly dashed out the door and ran down the stairs and to the kitchen doorway. And stopped dead in my tracks.

"Hey, Annie…" Annie said with a smirk.

"Uh… what is… _Carey _doing here?" I asked dumbly.

"He's just stopping by for breakfast, as usual," Molly responded, smiling at Annie sweetly. DAMMIT!!! FLIRT WITH ME, DAMMIT!!!

"Oh." I walked over to the only empty chair, which was unfortunately next to Jack, who winked at me discreetly. Yeah. He winked at me.

I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Annie…

"So, _Annie_, anything interesting happen lately?"

Okay, not anymore.

"Not really, _Carey_, how about you?" I responded in annoyance.

"Oh, you know, just the usual. Spending all day with Molly at the recording studio, which was fun as always…" That should have been me, dammit! I wanted to strangle her. "Yeah, it was wicked!"

"Uh, wicked, Carey?" Jack asked skeptically.

"Or, you know, whatever it is I usually say…"

Good Lord. Annie sucks at this. You'd think that since this was her twisted idea, she'd at the very least be good at being me.

"Oh, Annie, Clu's coming back from college for a few days. He should be here in about an hour," Jack told me. It's kind of weird how he always mentions Clu at random moments. Oh well.

I nodded, still glaring at Annie out of the corner of my eye. She didn't seem to notice, but that girl is going to pay…

I finished breakfast and headed back upstairs to Annie's bedroom to change. If only there was something normal I could change into. I was standing in all but my underwear when I heard the door fly open.

"Dammit Jack, get out!" I screamed, still facing the other direction.

"It's only me!"

My voice.

"Close the door," I ordered, quickly pulling a tight, pink blouse over my head. After hearing the door being shut, I turned around.

"It's not like I don't know what my own body looks like," Annie said, looking amused.

"Just what in the hell is going on?" I demanded angrily.

She only smirked.

"You did this!" I yelled. "How? _Why?_"

"It was the slurpee from 7-Up!" she said proudly. "Remember?"

"It's 7-Elev—what? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I drugged it!"

Son of a gun… "You… with what?" I asked, my head spinning.

"Magic pills! Conrad got them in Peru and gave them to me!" I really should have known better than to ask.

"Why did you do it?" I asked bluntly, pulling on a pair of leopard-print pants.

She shrugged. "Dunno. You seemed like a good target. It's fun being you! Oh, by the way, I read your diary."

"I seemed like a g—_WHAT?_" I could only imagine what shade of red my face must have been after hearing that. She giggled at my obvious discomfort.

"Lots of interesting stuff in there…"

Argh! I was such a moron! Diaries are so sissy; why did I ever insist on keeping one?

"I never knew you thought so highly of Molly…" she continued, laughing. I could almost feel the steam rising from my ears. Wait a second! I had something, too!

"Yeah, well, I never knew what you like to do at night…" I began.

"_What? _You kissed my Jackie-poo?" she asked, her eyes growing large.

"Hell, he wanted to do more than just kissing…"

"No! Only _I'm _supposed to be doing that with him!" Annie exclaimed.

"It's a little late to be realizing that now, huh?"

"Come on," she said, suddenly grabbing my hand.

"Where are we going?" I demanded.

"We're going to fix this," she said determinedly. In one swift motion, she threw open the door.

And we found ourselves face-to-face with a very wide-eyed Clu.


	6. Out Of The Closet

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wrote this 3 months ago and forgot about it, hehe... I dedicate this chapter to Roger, a.k.a. A-Slasher, for corrupting my mind. :D (Hey Rog, if I dedicate every one of my fics and chapters to you from now on, will you review more?)

  


Chapter Six

"Clu," I began, horrified, "how long have you been standing there?" And when did he even get here? I thought he wasn't coming until later!

He didn't move, frozen, with his mouth hanging open.

"Forget about him," Annie said, pulling my hand down the hallway.

"Wait!" I demanded, shaking loose of her grip. I grabbed the front of Clu's shirt, dragging him into the room. Annie followed reluctantly, closing the door behind her. He stood before us, waiting expectantly. I had no choice—the only thing I could do was try to explain that Annie and I had switched bodies. Who knows? He might believe it. After all, he never seemed to doubt Fi's "encounters". And how much different was this?

"Look, Clu, I don't know what you heard, or what you thought you heard, but it's not what you think! You see—"

"I'm gay," Annie interrupted.

Clu's expression remained the same; for some reason he didn't seem stunned at all. "Dude, I had no idea," he said.

"_What?_" I screamed. "No he's not! It's not like that at all! Clu, don't believe anything he says!"

"I'm sorry, Annie," Annie told me solemnly. "Sexuality is a personal choice we make for ourselves after much careful thought and experimentation. I know you probably have a little crush on me, but the fact is that I just prefer men over women."

This can't be happening.

Clu nodded. "Dude, I totally understand how you feel. I…" he said, trailing off.

"Clu?" I prompted fearfully.

"I… guess it's time I came out of the closet too…"

"_WHAT?_"

"I'm gay."

This can't be happening.

"See, man, we all feel a little better once we get it out in the open," Annie told him, patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess we do," Clu agreed, smiling slightly. The happiness quickly changed to a look of panic. "Uh, bro, you're not really dating Jack, are you?" he asked worriedly.

"'Fraid so." Annie shrugged.

"Damn."

I stood there, dumbfounded, shifting my gaze back from Clu to Annie, and from Annie to Clu.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Clu questioned.

"Not yet, but I'm going to tell them soon," Annie responded, sighing wistfully for dramatic effect. I began to jot down some mental notes of potential uses for her soon-to-be-decapitated head.

"Hey, if it makes it any easier, we could tell them together!" Clu exclaimed.

"What, do you want to give your parents a heart attack?" Hey, that was me! I said something!

"I'd really like that," Annie replied to Clu's comment, ignoring mine.

"Great!" Clu said excitedly. "You know, I was really worried before, but now I feel so much better knowing that my own brother understands exactly what I'm going through."

"Right on," Annie responded. _Right on?_ Oh, I had more important things to contemplate right now. Like the fact that Clu was gay—unless this was just one of his little stunts. And like the fact that soon Annie would tell everyone that _I'm _gay…

"Well, I'm going to go back downstairs now," Clu announced.

"Okay! Let's keep the gay pride alive!" Annie called after him as he left the room. I didn't say anything, only glaring at her. "Something wrong?" she asked with a smirk.

"Something _wrong_?!" I asked incredulously. "Something _WRONG?_"

"Wow, so you and Clu are _both _gay… who would've thought? Kind of sucks that you're brothers, huh?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I screamed.

"Hey Carey, you know all the times when you and Clu and everyone else made fun of me behind my back? You think I didn't hear you? Did you think I was too dumb to notice all those horrible things you said?"

"Um… yes, yes, and yes…?" I shrugged.

"Well, I wasn't!" she said defiantly.

"That's great, really it is," I responded sarcastically. "And what exactly does this have to do with your plan to make everyone think I'm gay, consequently ruining my love life and destroying any chance I might have had with Molly?"

"Oh, you never had a chance anyway," Annie assured me. "As for _this_—consider this payback." She grinned smugly.

"Payback?" I repeated, eyeing her steadily. "This is war."


	7. So Yesterday

Chapter Seven

_TEN MINUTES LATER_

          Well, I had been pacing around the room for ten minutes when it finally dawned on me. Of course! I could just call Fi. She would know what to do. At least, I hoped she would know what to do. I couldn't help feeling a little wary—after all, this was the girl who willingly decided to leave the tour and let _Annie _take her place. But what other choice did I have?

          Decisively, I grabbed the phone and dialed Fi's number. _Rrrrring__.__ I began to have doubts. What if Fi didn't believe me? After all, I was Annie now. _Rrrrring__.___ And nobody in their right mind believed Annie. _Rrrrring__._ That stupid blonde! It sucked to be her. I couldn't think of a single positive aspect of being trapped in Annie's—_

          "Hey, Annie?"

          Ohhh, that voice. That singularly beautiful voice. How many times I imagined her to be crying _my_ name in the middle of the night—there I go again.

          "Hey, it's Fi. I can't talk to you right now, but leave me a message and—"

          "AAAARRRGHH!!!" I yelled, throwing the phone across the room.

          "Annie?"

          "She's downstairs," I answered reflexively. Just then I realized Molly was standing right in front of me. And then I remembered that _I was Annie. "I mean… um…"_

          But she just laughed. That amazing laugh. I could have melted. This crush really had gone too far. Really. Especially now that I was trapped in the body of a 15-year-old girl. And not just _any _15-year-old girl, but a particularly blond, fantastically annoying, mind-numbingly dumb one.

          Or maybe I was just bitter.

          Did I mention that she can't sing?

          "What are your plans for tomorrow?" Molly asked.

          "Um… uh… ummmmm…" Oh, great. As usual, around Molly I was reduced to a blubbering idiot. For a fraction of a second, I was almost grateful to be Annie—since blubbering idiocy was nothing out of the ordinary for her. Do I sound bitter to you?

          Molly just laughed, again. That wonderful, amazing, beautiful—okay, okay. "Do you want to go to the spa with me?"

          THE SPA!!!!!! I almost yelped. Wasn't that, like, where a lot of women got together and stripped and soaked in a bathtub? I wasn't sure, but I had heard rumors…

          I managed to nod.

          "Great! I figured we could go tomorrow after you-know-what," she winked.

          Um.

"Right!" I said intelligently.

"Well, make sure you get a good night's sleep," she added.

"Sure," I replied. Molly smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her. Okay… yeah. What the hell was happening tomorrow? I ran to study the calendar hanging over Annie's desk. November 3rd: "Audition for recording studio!!!!!!!!!" It was surrounded by hearts and stars and smiley faces.

I had to audition? For a recording studio? As in… sing? For a record deal? But that didn't make any sense. No record company would be stupid enough to sign her. After all, she couldn't sing.

Then I remembered that this was the same world where Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, and Hilary Duff all had recording contracts.

And then, for the hundredth time today, I remembered: _I _was Annie. _I controlled her fate. __I would decide whether or not she got this record deal—whether or not the entire country would have to suffer._

_I _had power.

"Oh, Annie," I sneered, looking in the mirror. "You're _so _yesterday."


	8. Doomed

NOTE: There are several references made in this chapter to Patrick Levis' personal career moves. I love Patrick, but some things you can't help poking fun at… Sorry, I know these jokes are old, but I couldn't resist. :)

Chapter Eight

          Just as I was nodding off into blissful sleep, a loud noise awoke me.

          "Oops."

          "Jack, is that you?" I mumbled. I hoped this wouldn't be another episode like last night's.

          "Yeah, sorry, um, I just wanted to return your calculator."

          "You couldn't wait until the morning for that?" I sighed. There was a long silence.

          "Okay, okay, you got me. Just, I was thinking." Another long pause. I sighed again, supposing that he expected me to actually be interested when all I wanted was to sleep.

          "Uh huh…"

          "I think maybe I'm adopted!" Jack blurted.

          "What!" I exclaimed. "Jack, you can't go around saying things like that! You'll offend someone! You say things like that and you're doomed for life, doomed!"

          "Oh. Oops. I mean, maybe it's me."

          "That's better." I wondered if he was going to leave now, but no such luck. "Well, what brought you to this conclusion?"

          "I was just thinking that I'm the only one with no musical talent in this family. I mean, you and mom can sing, and Carey can play guitar, and Dad was just the musical genius. I mean, even Fi has a little bit of musician in her. I remember one time a couple years ago when she started playing this little melody of Dad's, all on her own. She didn't know I was listening to her from my bedroom doorway. I was so jealous, I cried!"

          "Jack, you do realize that Carey and I aren't members of your family, right?"

          "So?"

          "And also, didn't you sing a lullaby to that evil baby one time?"

          "So? I wasn't any good." He began to sniffle.

          Lovely. I had to think of a way to end this fast and get him out of my room. "Hey, you know what was on VH1 today?"

          He sniffled some more. "No."

          "_Behind the Music_ with Donny and Marie! And you know what I thought when I saw it?"

          "'Wow, their jumpsuits were really ugly?'" he guessed.

          "No! I was thinking that you bear a very strong resemblance to Donny Osmond."

          The sniffling stopped abruptly. "Annie, of all the stupid things you've ever said, that has to be the stupidest one yet," he replied crossly.

          If I were actually Annie, I'd probably care. Instead I ignored his comment and desperately tried to think of something else to say. Before I could, he interrupted my thoughts with another comment.

          "The truth is…" he began.

          "Yes?" I urged him.

          "The truth is, what I really want to do…" he continued slowly.

          "Yes, what?"

          "What I really want to do is… what I really want…"

          "FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!" I screamed.

          Jack stopped, startled. Then he took a sharp breath and almost yelled, "I WANT TO PLAY THE GUITAR AND SING SONGS PRAISING JESUS! IS THAT SO WRONG?!"

          I was dumbfounded. Oh God, I was turning into Annie.

          "Jack, I am going to say this in the nicest way possible." I really wasn't. I was trying to kick him out, after all, and go back to my dreams about Molly. "That is the worst idea I have ever heard. If you do that, you will be flushing your entire life down the toilet. People may like it at first, but they'll get tired after a few episodes… I mean songs. And the worst part is that you'll be scarred for life. You'll never have another opportunity for stardom again. Just trust me on this."

          There was a long silence. I almost thought I had dozed off and he left the room. I decided to roll over and go back to sleep, and then…

          "It's over, Annie."

          "Hmmmm?" I asked, a bit dazed.

          "Us. It's over."

          "Okay," I replied. There, I had already ruined Annie's life in one way. I was gaining on her.

          "I'm going to sing my praises to the Lord just to spite you," Jack threatened.

          "Whatever."

          "And I'm going to be successful," he added.

          "Good for you."

          There was another long silence. Jesus Christ. Was he _gone _yet?!

          "Ohhhh, Annie!" he suddenly cried. "I didn't mean what I said. Can we start over?"

          Okay, maybe now was the time for a more straightforward approach. "Jack, I have a really big day tomorrow, do you think you could let me get some sleep?" I asked sweetly.

          "Sure, pumpkin," he replied, kissing me lightly on the lips. Ugh. "Do you forgive me?"

          "Um… yeah. I guess."

          "Good." With that, he walked to the door. _Finally. He almost closed it behind him before adding, "I'm going to sing my praises to you instead." And then the door closed all the way._

          Save me. Now.


	9. I Will Survive

A/N: I'm alive.

Chapter Nine

"Now remember, sweetie, don't be nervous. Just be yourself, and the record execs will love you. Okay?"

"Don't worry, Molly," I had said with a grin. "I'm not nervous _at all._"

And now I was here, in the recording studio. I was practically rubbing my hands together in delight. This was payback, indeed. This was about to become the epitome of payback.

Soon enough, the record executives had entered the studio. I greeted them all in my best, fake-polite, sugary-sweet Annie impression, hoping they couldn't detect the evil glint in my eyes. They were all in for quite a performance, and I couldn't wait to do in Annie for good. The best part about all of this was that, besides ending her career and killing her dreams, I would be doing the entire world a favor by preventing them from ever hearing another one of Annie's horrible songs. This was probably the most charitable act I would ever accomplish in my life.

"So, Annie, what will you be singing for us today?" the most official-looking man asked me, interrupting my thoughts.

"Well, I know that Irene, my manager, originally told you that I would be singing 'To Dream About You,' an original song of mine…" I paused for dramatic effect. I noticed that a few of the men's eyes lit up in anticipation, and the official guy nodded expectantly. "…But, instead I've decided to sing a classic favorite of mine. I'm sure you'll all recognize this song and remember the impact that it had on the evolution of music history. So, without further ado…" I cleared my throat, and then began.

"AT FIRST I WAS AFRAID, I WAS PETRIFIED! KEPT THINKING I COULD NEVER LIVE WITHOUT YOU BY MY SIDE. BUT THEN I SPENT SO MANY NIGHTS THINKING HOW YOU DID ME WRONG, AND I GREW STRONG! AND I KNEW HOW TO GET ALONG! AND NOW YOU'RE BACK! FROM OUTER SPACE! I JUST WALKED IN TO FIND YOU HERE WITH THAT SAD LOOK UPON YOUR FACE! I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THAT STUPID LOCK, I SHOULD HAVE MADE YOU LEAVE YOUR KEY, IF I'D KNOWN FOR JUST ONE SECOND YOU'D COME BACK TO BOTHER MEEEE! GO ON NOW, GO! WALK OUT THE DOOR!" I really half-expected them to take this as their actual cue to walk out the door, but they all seemed to be completely stunned, mouths slightly agape.

"JUST TURN AROUND NOW! CUZ YOU'RE NOT WELCOME ANYMORE! WEREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO TRIED TO HURT ME WITH GOODBYES, DIDJA THINK I'D CRUMBLE, DIDJA THINK I'D LAY DOWN AND DIE, OH NO NOT I! I WILL SURVIVE! OH AS LONG AS I—"

And there it was. The single hand that went up, signaling me to stop. "…know how to love I know I'll stay alive…" I continued in a slight whimper, fading out. "Are you sure you don't want to hear the rest?" I asked innocently. "There's a few more minutes left—"

"Actually, I think we've heard enough," the official guy interrupted, standing up.

"Oh, well, would you like to hear anything else?" I persisted. "There are a few other classics in my repertoire…"

"That's quite alright," he replied, smiling weakly. "I think we've heard enough 'classics' for today." By this point, the other men had begun to stand up, too.

"Okay, if you're sure…"

"Yes. We are." He looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Wicked!" I announced. Then I immediately cringed. God, I really am Annie.

"Thank you," the man said half-heartedly, as they all filed out of the studio… at a rather rapid pace, might I add.

"Anytime!" I called after them, and the door slammed shut.

Have I mentioned that I'm a genius?

Later that evening, we were eating dinner in the Phillips' kitchen… some delicious filet mignon that Molly whipped up. She's incredible, really.

"Thish ish delishish," I said between mouthfuls.

Jack suspiciously eyed my plate. "Annie, you've been eating a lot more than your usual portion, recently…"

"What are you saying? You think I'm fat?" I nearly screamed. Okay, this was a little creepy. My previously non-existent feminine side was suddenly shining through.

"No, it's just, um…" he stammered, at a loss for words.

"I'm glad you like it, Annie," Molly interrupted, flashing a beautifully brilliant smile.

_Marry me?_

"I'm glad that you're glad that I like it," I replied brightly. Jack gave me a weird look, which I ignored. Suddenly the phone rang.

"You should answer that," Molly told me. "It might be you-know-who!"

I hoped so. This was bound to be hilarious. "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Rob Jennings from Sunnyside Records. Is this Annie Thelen?"

"Sure is!" I replied perkily, hoping to further emphasize Annie's creepiness.

"Congratulations, Annie! We've decided to sign you on a two-year deal! Now, you'll have to come into our office to fill out the paperwork, but we really feel that this will be the beginning of a beautiful partnership—"

"WHAT?" I nearly screamed, in utter shock and awe and… disgust, mostly. _What the hell?_

"Yes, we know you're probably just spilling over with excitement! And who could blame you! At first, my colleagues and I were taken aback by your performance, but we really think you've got the right image for stardom! With a bit of vocal coaching, you'll be on your way in no time. And, we realized,'70s hits are 'in' again, so perhaps you'll even get to sing your favorite 'classic'…"

_This can't be happening. _"Thanks…" I said warily.

"Be in our office Monday at two! And thank _you_!" He replied, hanging up.

I remained standing, clutching the phone, in a complete daze.

"Well?" Jack and Molly asked simultaneously. I nodded and smiled half-heartedly.

"Alright!" They were nearly jumping for joy… actually, no, they _were _jumping for joy. And hugging me and screaming. I wanted to die.

Now what?


	10. New Plan

Chapter Ten

I couldn't believe it. Clearly I needed a new plan. How was I ever going to put an end to the madness? I had to come up with something fast, before "Carey" told everyone that Jack and I were involved, and Clu and I came out to our parents. Actually, I didn't really care if Clu came out, and I guess technically Jack couldn't be dragged into it since he was dating me—I mean, Annie. But "Carey" could still come out to my parents, and I _really _didn't want to deal with the consequences of that.

My original plan was to call Fi and see if she knew of any remedies to reverse the switch, but that didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. For one thing, having Annie's voice instead of my own pretty much destroyed any credibility I may or may not have had. And even if she did believe me, being so far away, how could she help? But—okay, I'm making excuses. I guess the real problem is, not to sound conceited or anything, but I'm pretty sure Fi likes me. Don't get me wrong—I think she's cute and all—but in that little girl type of way, you know? (Molly, on the other hand… well, you get the idea.) And I guess I'm scared that if Fi helps me, I'll feel indebted to her somehow, and that would probably involve romantic favors.

I'm not stupid, though. Last resort, I'm _definitely _calling Fi.

There had to be a way to reverse the spell—Annie said was from magical pills that she got from her imaginary panther. If only I could somehow get in touch with him—wait, what am I _thinking_? These super tight pants must be cutting off the circulation to my brain, or something. Think, Carey, think!

Suddenly I had an idea. If I didn't have a solution, I could at least delay the "coming out" party for a little while, couldn't I? Clu was gullible. Maybe he'd believe me…

Hesitantly, I picked up Annie's bright pink faux-fur phone and dialed Clu's private line. "Hello?" he answered briskly.

"Hey, Clu! It's Annie."

"Hey Annie, what's up?"

"Well… a lot, actually. Do you think you could come over?" I decided that this would be much better to talk about face-to-face, behind closed doors.

There was a long pause. "Uh… are you sure?"

Was I sure? What kind of question was that? "Clu, are you coming over or not?" I demanded in my best whiny-Annie impression.

"Uh, yeah, I'll be right there. Bye."

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. I frantically ran to open it, grabbed Clu's sleeve and yanked him into the room, quickly closing the door behind him. Clu stared at me with wide eyes.

I took a deep breath. "Okay, listen, there's something I have to tell—" Only, I couldn't finish my sentence, because just as the words were leaving my mouth, Clu's tongue filled it instead.


	11. Come Over

Chapter Eleven

"_Clu!_ What the hell are you doing!" I screamed, shoving him away and wiping my lips furiously.

He gave me a confused look. "What was I supposed to do? You asked me to _come over_. Remember?" I stared at him blankly. "Our code?"

Play it cool, play it cool. "But I'm dating Jack! And besides, you're gay!"

"That never stopped us before."

Ugh, I couldn't believe this. It made no sense. So Clu was Annie's boy-toy on the side. All I could think was one thing: Damn, Annie gets _around_.

"Wait," Clu said, looking rather perplexed. "I thought Carey was dating Jack now."

"Clu, you really shouldn't believe anything _Carey _says," I said bitterly.

His eyes lit up. "You mean Carey's not dating Jack!" Clu asked excitedly.

"No, you idiot, he's dating me!" I cried in exasperation. "And he's not gay, either!" Clu's already sad face quickly grew more sullen. "Carey just said that to make you jealous," I added.

"Does he like Jack too?" Clu asked worriedly.

"NO!" I screamed. Jesus.

"Well, even if you _are_ dating Jack," Clu pointed out, "he's still fooling around. He's got that girlfriend, _Gabe_"—he spoke her name with marked disgust—"remember?"

Ah, right. Of course. The famous Gabe. How could I forget? It was amazing that Jack was still dating her, despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other in over three years, their only way of communication was the Internet, and she may or may not be dead. But somehow she always pops up. Incredible, really.

But I digress.

"Look, Clu—let's just forget about that. The real reason I called you to, um, _visit_, is that I have to talk to you about something really, really, really, _really _important." Clu's eyes lit up and he nodded anxiously. I took a deep breath. "Okay… a few days ago… something really weird happened."

Clu nodded enthusiastically. "Like paranormal weird?"

"Well… yes. You see… even though I may look and sound like Annie, I'm really not! I'm trapped in her body—she tricked me—she gave me a drink mixed with drugs and then we switched bodies!" I blurted out.

Clu's eyes grew wider. "Then like… if you're not Annie… who are you? Because you seem to know me and everyone else, and a lot about us…"

I inhaled sharply. This was it—now or never. "Clu, it's me! It's Carey! I've been trapped inside Annie's body for days, and she's in mine, and I need your help! You have to believe me!" Finally I exhaled, waiting for his reaction.

Clu stared at me, speechless. Then, suddenly, he started laughing. Soon his laughter turned into hysterical guffaws. "Oh, man! You really had me going there… good one, Annie! Hahahahaha…"

Okay. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. The laughter ceased immediately. "Clu, you _have_ to believe me. _Please_. Hey, I know. Ask me a question that only I, Carey, would know." This _had _to work.

"Okay." Clu eyed me steadily, ready for the challenge. "If you're really Carey, then what's my full first name?"

What! How is _he _in college and I'm not?

"Clu, no offense, but even Annie would know the answer to that one, and that's not saying much—"

"YOU'RE STALLING!" he screamed.

"CLUETT!" I screamed back at equal volume. "Jesus, ya happy now? Do you believe me, that I'm Carey?"

"Psh, of course not," he scoffed. "Even Annie would know the answer to that question."

"Clu, for christ sake. Would you ask me a real question then?"

"Hmm." He appeared to be thinking. Whether or not he actually was remained to be seen. "Okay, I got one. What is my most favorite thing in the whole world?"

This was too easy. "Your first surfboard."

"And what is its name?"

"The Wavemeister," I announced in my most sarcastically enthusiastic voice.

"And what color is it?"

"Purple, black, and gray."

Clu smiled. "Very nice. So, what is it, Annie, you're like, psychic or something, right?"

"What! No!" I was shocked. "You mean you _still _don't believe me?"

"Sorry, Annie. I _know _told you about the Wavemeister before. But wait a minute! I have an idea. Instead of asking something that only Carey would know about me, how about I ask something only Carey would know about himself?"

"Sure," I agreed, even though I didn't really follow. "Anything." I wasn't quite sure how this would help.

"Who does Carey like?"

I gulped. "Like?"

"You know, like, have a crush on." I bit my lip nervously. Clu snickered. "See, what Carey doesn't know is I read his diary. So I already know the answer to this. And if you're really Carey, so do you. So tell me."

I whispered my answer.

"What!"

I whispered a little louder.

"WHAT!"

"Molly!" I squeaked. "Molly, okay?" Jesus, I couldn't believe it. Everyone and their mother was reading my diary. _I hope Jack doesn't find it…_

"Ew, dude, really? Molly? I mean, I like her and all, but like a _mother_! Or, an aunt, maybe… or even an older cousin…" he babbled.

"Wait a second!" I interrupted. "Why are you acting like you didn't already know this?"

Clu blushed. "Oh. Well. I didn't actually read your diary…"

"What!"

"Dude, I had to know! After you answered that last question right, I knew you were Carey, so I had to make sure you didn't like Jack!"

He tricked me! I couldn't believe Clu was that smart.

"So Annie doesn't know about the Wavemeister?" I asked weakly.

"Dude, no way," Clu breathed. "Some things are holy. That remains a secret between us bros."

"So you believe me now?' I asked hopefully.

Clu nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not going to fall for any of Annie's stupid tricks." I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thank god. That meant no coming out party. "One question though. What do we do now?"

I wish I knew. "I have no idea."

Clu nodded sympathetically. "This is like, so _Freaky Friday_." Then he grinned. "_Awesome_."


	12. Stress

Chapter Twelve

It was Monday morning. I woke up and groaned immediately. Today was the day that I'd have to go back to the recording studio and do god-knows-what. I just wanted it all to end _now_.

Groggily, I climbed out of bed and threw on some fresh clothes. I no longer cared about the super-tight leopard-print pants or blindingly bright colors or horribly tacky assortment of accessories. In fact, I pretty much resigned to the fact that I might be trapped inside of Annie's body forever, so I should probably get used to it. Sighing, I descended the staircase to the kitchen where everyone else would be eating breakfast.

Then I saw Annie.

"What is _he _doing here?" I demanded angrily.

Molly flashed me a look of annoyance. "Annie, you know Carey is welcome to eat here whenever he wants."

"Yes, I am," Annie interjected, smirking at me. "Thank you, Molly," she added, smiling at her angelically.

"What's up with you, anyway?" Jack asked me. "You've been so grumpy lately. We used to have… fun."

Yeah. Fun indeed.

"I think your ideas of _fun_ are a little different from mine," I told him nastily. "And furthermore—"

Molly sighed. "I'm not in the mood for this today, you two." I quickly shut my mouth, not wanting to upset her. Not like it mattered, because Annie would be the one upsetting her, as far as she was concerned.

"What's wrong?" Annie asked sweetly. I could have killed her, really.

"Nothing," Molly said quickly. "I'm fine. Really. It's just stress, that's all. Nothing to worry about." She dug a fork into her pancakes and began chewing.

"Stress about what?" I asked hesitantly.

"I don't even know. The band, the recording studio, the tour, and now that your career is being added into the mix—" she quickly stopped herself. "Not that I'm not happy for you honey, it's just more to think about, or worry about, and, well… you know how I am. I mean, this is why Fi left, isn't it?" She forced a chuckle. The rest of us all looked at each other questioningly. "Anyway, Annie, what time do you need to be at the studio?"

"Um, two o'clock," I responded.

"I'll drive her," Annie interrupted.

I stared at her, aghast. "_You?_" Annie didn't even have her permit!

"Oh, Carey, you don't… would you really?" Molly asked hopefully.

"Definitely. You need a day to relax."

"I mean—if you're sure…"

I really wanted to protest, but bit my tongue. I was torn between risking my life with Annie's driving, or causing Molly to be unhappy. Molly's needs were undoubtedly more important than my own.

"Now, Carey, you realize you'll have to stay with her at the studio the entire time… it could take a while…"

"It's okay, Mrs. P., you can count on me!" Annie smiled brightly. I cringed inwardly. _Mrs. P.?_ It had been so long since I called her that.

"Fine with me," I assured her half-heartedly.

Annie turned to me and grinned. "I hope you're prepared."

I'm not sure I wanted to know what she meant by that.


	13. Hey Jude

A/N: This chapter was written in honor of Alexz Johnson's illustrious career.

Chapter Thirteen

The car ride was torture. For one thing, my stomach was flying in about sixteen different directions as Annie flew over every speed bump, railroad track, and pothole and zipped around every corner and past every stop sign without braking for a second. "You couldn't just let _me _drive, could you?" I asked, annoyed.

"Well that would look rather suspicious, don't you think?" Annie smirked, as she nearly ran yet another red light.

"Oh, and this doesn't?" I demanded. "It's remarkable that we haven't been pulled over yet."

"Are you kidding? This is probably the best I've ever driven!" Annie announced proudly. "I haven't hit a single mailbox or fire hydrant."

"Or pedestrian."

"Well, it's been a pretty long time since I got one of them."

I hoped she was joking. "Look, what is this all about? Why did you have to drive me? What's your plan?"

"Duh!" Annie said perkily. "Like you don't know!"

I looked at her warily. "Yeah, actually, I don't."

"Hello, Carey! This is _my _future that's at stake. I have to make sure you don't mess it up!"

"Trust me, I won't. I can't. I tried." Then something occurred to me. "Wait. _Your _future?"

"Well, of course, silly. You didn't think you'd be trapped in my body forever, did you?"

A glimmer of hope! She was going to get me out!

"Then again, you might… I mean, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy where I am now! Being you is _so_ wicked!"

I sighed. Back to square one. Suddenly she swerved into the parking lot and jerked to a stop in a parking space, slamming on the brakes, and throwing both of us forward in our seats until the seat belts snapped us back into place. "We're here!" Annie announced, leaping out of the car. I tried to relocate my stomach, which felt as it was still being catapulted at sixty miles an hour into the distance. Annie was already walking at a steady pace—practically skipping—into the studio. I followed reluctantly.

"Hello, I'm Carey Bell, here with Annie Thelen, and we're scheduled to see Rob Jennings for a two o'clock appointment," Annie said briskly to the receptionist, who barely glanced at us.

She began shuffling through some papers, and then finally said, "Ah, yes, Annie. Rob couldn't make it today after all, but someone else will be here to see you instead. Have a seat right over there in our waiting area." I felt like I was seeing a dentist.

I nodded and Annie and I went to sit down. "This is _awesome!_" Annie whispered. "I'm going to be famous!"

_Yeah, I hope the tabloids tear you apart,_ I thought bitterly. Several minutes later, the door flew open and a young man, about my age, with dark brown hair appeared in the doorway. "Annie Thelen?"

"Hi," I said, standing up to greet him and to shake his hand. Annie followed suit.

"My name is Tom Quincy. Won't you come into my office?" Without waiting for a response, he spun on his heel and began walking down another hallway. I started to follow him.

"Wait!" Annie grabbed my arm. "Isn't that Little Tommy Q?"

"What? Who?" I asked impatiently. "Let go of me, we have a meeting!"

"Little Tommy Q, from Boys Attack!"

"What, that stupid boy band you have on your wall?"

"No, silly, those are the Backstreet Boys. Duh. Boys Attack was some rip-off Canadian version. They were _so _lame."

"Right up your alley, huh?" I began walking briskly after Tommy Q—I mean Tom Quincy—before Annie had a chance to respond.

His office was bright and spacious. Annie and I both collapsed into the comfortable confines of two large reclining chairs. Tom took a seat at his desk.

"Now, Annie. Let's cut right to the chase. You're not here today because of your singing."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Annie asked.

"I'm sorry, who did you say you were?" Tom replied, clearly annoyed. "_Anyway_. Annie. You have the look that we're, well, looking for. With a few minor modifications to your appearance, and some voice-training, and guitar lessons… you'll be set."

"Wait," I interrupted. "If I need all that, then why did you pick me?"

He shrugged. "We're desperate. Anyway, it doesn't matter. We're going to market you to Canada first before we even try the U.S."

"Gee, thanks."

"Wait, what kind of _modifications _are we talking about?" Annie asked impatiently. I was curious myself.

"Well," Tom began, "the hair definitely has to go."

"What's wrong with her hair?" Annie asked irritably.

"We want to go for more of an edgier look. The blonde just isn't going to cut it. There are enough blond-haired teenage pop singers out there. We were thinking more of a deep red."

Oh, please. Like anyone would ever believe that Annie was a natural redhead.

"Hm, interesting," Annie said, and I could tell she approved. She would, wouldn't she?

"And the music, of course, will have an edgier sound too. We want to go for something fresh and marketable. Perhaps a sad-girl-with-guitar kind of routine."

Annie? Sad? With a guitar?

"Wicked!" Annie said excitedly.

I sighed. "Yeah. Wonderful."

Tom smiled. "Well, it looks like you've already got the sad girl role taken care of. There's one more problem, though."

"What's that?" Annie asked.

"It's just—_Annie Thelen_?" He looked at me. "How are we going to give you this image with a name like that? People hear Annie, and they think of a little redhead girl singing about how the sun will come out tomorrow."

"I love that musical!" Annie interrupted.

Tom glared at her.

"What name did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Your management staff has tossed around a few different ideas for a stage name. Right now the most popular one is Jude Harrison."

"Jude Harrison?" Annie repeated. "I love it!" Tom looked at me expectantly.

"It sounds like a horribly contrived combination of a Beatles' song and… a Beatle." His eyes grew a little more fiery. "Um, but sure. Whatever."

"Great!" He smiled again. "So it's a deal." He pulled open a drawer in his desk and handed me a folder of papers. "Here's some sheet music. We want you to practice these songs and come in prepared to start recording a week from today. Okay?" He didn't wait for a response. "Alright then. See you next Monday!" He quickly led us to the door, practically shoving us out.

"That was weird," I remarked. "Jude Harrison? Red hair? Sad girl with guitar? Where the hell do they come up with this stuff?"

But Annie wasn't listening. "This is the greatest thing that ever happened to me… I'm going to be a singer! And famous!" She squealed. "I'm going to be an instant star!"

--

Disclaimer: I don't own _Instant Star,_ Tom Quincy, or Jude Harrison. Canada does.


	14. Spluttering and Stumbling

Disclaimer/Author's Note: "I'm In Love With My Guitar" belongs to _Instant Star._ And Alexz Johnson actually sang it. And it was hilarious. Then her character got upset because her best friend said he hated it but it wasn't her fault, it was the record company's fault, and then she admitted that she wrote the song herself. HAHAHAHA. If you guys aren't watching this show, you're missing out, seriously…

Chapter Fourteen

We drove back to the Phillips' house in silence. Actually, Annie didn't shut up the entire ride back, but I just tuned her out. Woefully, I glanced down at the sheet music in front of me.

_Whenever we're together no one's a star_

_I can pour it all out right from the heart_

_If it's up to me we'll never be apart_

_I'm in love with my guitar_

"This song _sucks_," I said aloud. "Those are probably the stupidest lyrics I've ever read."

"How's it go?" Annie asked. I sang the chorus for her. "I think it's catchy!" she announced gleefully.

"This is even worse than 'To Dream About You,'" I moaned. "No offense," I added quickly, and insincerely.

"Carey, I have to tell you something," Annie said seriously, clearly indifferent to my most recent insult.

"Look, if it's about the song, I'll learn it, okay? I have nothing better to do, and besides, I already know how to play the guitar, so it's not like they'll have to bother with giving me less—"

"Carey!"

"What!" I asked, annoyed.

"I'm ready to switch back," she whispered.

"You're—what—really?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really!"

"Yes."

"Really really!"

"YES! Stop asking me that before I change my mind!" she screamed.

"Okay," I agreed happily. I was grinning from ear-to-ear like some kind of crazed maniac. I was going back, going back, going back to my body! I wanted to jump for joy, but instead kind of bounced around a little bit until my shoulder felt sore from being knocked against the seatbelt so much. "Ouch."

"Oh," Annie said suddenly, interrupting my lame attempt at a celebration. "There's something I forgot to mention."

"Yeah, okay, what? Like some kind of deal? I'll do anything—well—almost anything…"

"Oh, no, not that," Annie replied, setting me at ease back again.

"Okay then. What?"

"Oh. Well. I don't know how to reverse the spell," Annie said casually, as if she had just remarked that it was a beautiful day out today—which it was, until now.

"WHAT?" I screamed.

She shrugged. "Hey! Don't worry about it! We'll figure something out." She smiled.

"WHY DID YOU CAST THIS SPELL ON US IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW AHEAD OF TIME HOW TO GET US OUT OF IT?"

"Gosh, Carey, I'm not a brain surgeon or anything." No kidding. "I just didn't think that far in advance, that's all."

"But—what—I—you—" I spluttered.

"No, seriously, it's okay," Annie went on.

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLY OKAY?" I screamed. Maybe I was overreacting. I probably should have kept my voice and my temper down a notch if I really wanted Annie to reverse the spell. After all, this could be my one and only chance to escape from her body.

Wait a second. What am I thinking! Annie doesn't even know how to get out!

Just then, we pulled into the Phillips' driveway. "It's easy," she said.

Be calm. Be calm be calm be calm.

I wanted to rip her head off.

"I have a plan," she continued.

"Okay," I muttered. "What?"

"Well," Annie began, "I've stumbled into a lot of weird stuff this past year," she told me, as if I hadn't noticed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," I remarked sarcastically.

"Yes," she responded, clearly missing the sarcasm. "But I always got out of it!"

"So, let me guess," I ventured. "We're just going to sit around and wait for the solution to come find us? We're just going to wander aimlessly until we happen to _stumble _into the answer?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, those are some good ideas, but no," she said seriously. I glared at her. "Come on, Carey, think! Who's the one person who always has the answers…"

"You can't possibly mean…" I paused. She nodded encouragingly, waiting for me to continue. "So we're just going to ask Fi?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, clearly pleased with herself.

"And what if she doesn't know what to do?"

"Oh, she will!" Annie insisted. "She always does."

"Fine," I agreed. "As soon as we get inside that house, we're calling her. Should I talk, or you? Or both of us? Well, I guess speakerphone isn't a likely option since Molly and Jack are home—"

"Carey!" Annie interrupted my senseless rambling. "We're not calling her."

"What?" I panicked. "What is this, some kind of sick joke? Dangle the possibility of switching back right before my eyes, then snatch it away at the last moment just to watch me squirm?"

She giggled. I wanted to strangle her. "No, silly," she replied. "Though that's a tempting idea." Her face turned serious when she looked back at the expression on mine. "Okay, sorry. It's just that I don't ever _call_ Fi. Now that I think about it, that would be kind of awkward."

"Awkward?" I demanded. "You think _that _would be awkward? And everything that happened this past week _wasn't _awkward?"

She shrugged.

I give up.

"Okay, here's the deal," Annie said. "You go up to my room, get my laptop, and then go to InstaGab. I'll come upstairs in a few minutes, you know, like after I say hi to Molly and stuff."

I glared at her again.

"Well, what am I supposed to do? I have to act like _you, _remember?"

"Fine," I agreed. "But what if Fi's not online? What then? This would be a _lot _easier if we just called…"

"Carey!"

"Fine. Okay. I'll do it."

"Good."

So just like that, our plan was intact. We walked through the front door and went our separate ways. As I placed my hand on the doorknob to Annie's bedroom, it occurred to me that this might be the last time I walked through her bedroom door. Quickly, I tried to push the thought out of my mind, afraid that I would jinx it by being too hopeful. I opened the door, ready to put our plan into action…

…and was immediately greeted by a sight that I did _not _expect to see.


	15. Hot Chocolate

Chapter Fifteen

"Whoa! Annie!" Jack shrieked in surprise. He leapt off Annie's bed and turned to face me, frantically buttoning his shirt. Clu, who had been lying on the bed as well—beneath Jack—watched him with a sly grin. Then he turned to look at me and guiltily wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"We were just—"

"Uh—"

"I was—"

"We didn't think you'd be back so soon—"

"Guys, shut up," I interrupted their idiotic rambling.

"I'm _so _sorry, baby…" Jack began to coax me, reaching over to touch my hair.

"Stop!" I impulsively stepped back and raised my hands in the air. "Look, I really don't care. I knew something was going on between you two."

"You did?" Jack asked hesitantly. Clu just grinned more widely.

"Well, sure, I mean, always sneaking off together, constantly calling each other, the late-night conversations, the giggling, and the way you"—I looked at Jack—"would always mention him at random moments when he wasn't around—"

"Dude, really?" Clu asked, sitting up on the bed and watching Jack with wide eyes.

"Well, you know… I missed you while you were away…"

Clu smiled adoringly and stood up. "Aww, Jack, man…"

"Clu…"

"Jack…"

"STOP!" I shouted, shielding my eyes with my hand. "God, not while I'm in the room, all right? Gross." I really didn't need to see my brother and one of my best friends making out in front of me _again_. They both turned to look at me, annoyed. "What are you doing in _my _room, anyway?"

"Oh, well, I needed to borrow your calculator—" Jack began.

"But he couldn't find it—" Clu continued.

"So I called Clu to come help me find it—"

"And then one thing led to another…" Clu drifted off. They both smiled at each other sheepishly.

"Aww, how cute, you two are already finishing each other's sentences," I remarked.

"And then you had to come in and ruin it," Jack added, ignoring my comment.

"Yeah, well, it's my room!" I said indignantly.

"Whatever."

"Dude, Jack, let's go to your room and finish what we were doing," Clu suggested. I cringed at the thought.

Jack grinned, then looked at me and quickly assumed a more serious expression. "Yeah, man, we gotta finish those video games we were playing…"

"Wait, Jack, I meant the other thing!" Clu hissed.

"Clu, you goon, I know what you meant, I just didn't want to say it around _her!_" Jack hissed back.

"Guys, just go," I said, shoving them both out of the room and closing the door behind them. Man. I couldn't believe Annie had managed to turn _two _guys gay. But anyway.

I walked over to Annie's desk and sat down with her laptop in front of me. Okay. So all I had to do now was turn it on and go to the Insta-whatever thing that Annie told me to go to. Piece of cake. Right?

First I had to turn the computer on. So easy. Now let's see. Should I open the cover first? I pulled on it, but nothing happened. Why was Annie's computer _orange_, anyway? Wasn't that a little odd?

There must have been a latch or something—oh—there! Found it. "Now we're getting somewhere," I murmured to myself. Okay. So the laptop was open. Now I had to turn it on, right? Oh man… I was so not a computer person… I began to push every button I saw. The little circular one seemed to do the trick. I breathed a sigh of relief. I could do this! Hopefully nothing disastrous would happen like the last time I used a computer and fried Fi's laptop with some freaky computer virus and the next thing I remember was being embraced by Molly with her arm draped around my back and my fingers gently caressing her silky hair—

"Focus!" I scolded myself. Okay, okay. There it was! I clicked the little InstaGab icon. "HELLO?" I frantically typed. "FI? ARE YOU IN THERE?"

Just then I heard the door swing open and then close shut. "Well?" It was my voice.

"Annie, she's not responding!" I said nervously.

"Let me see," Annie demanded, and I quickly jumped out of the chair. She sat down and stared at the screen. "Gee, Carey. Did it occur to you that maybe you should send someone a message if you want a response?" I stared at her blankly. "You're not talking to anyone," Annie clarified.

"Oh," I said dumbly.

"Gee, don't know much about computers, do ya?" Annie busily began clicking boxes and opening windows and typing.

I decided not to tell her about how it took me nearly five minutes just to open the latch on the laptop and turn the computer on. "I guess not. What _took _you so long?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, _Molly _wanted to go over a new song of hers really quick…"

"Great."

Annie giggled, then stopped abruptly. "Oh, look! Fi's online. It's amazing how she always just happens to be at the computer when I need to talk to her," Annie mused.

"Yeah, what are the odds? I guess she just sits at her computer all day waiting for the moment when you'll need her help."

"Probably," Annie agreed. "Okay," she said, and began typing. "Fi… how… do… I… reverse… a… spell… that… I… cast… question mark," Annie said slowly, typing as she spoke. I groaned. This could take all day.

Instantly, a paragraph-long response from Fi appeared. Clearly she must have had lightning-fast typing skills, or maybe this scenario was just overly unrealistic. Who cares?

_"Annie, it's easy to reverse a spell. According to the rules of Celtic magic, all you have to do is perform a spell that is exactly the opposite. For example, if it was something you recited from a magic book, you'd perform the chant backwards."_

"What's the opposite of giving someone pills?" I demanded.

"Thanks… Fi… comma… you're… the… best… exclamation point… exclamation point… exclamation point," Annie said as she typed. "Okay, Carey, we're ready!" she announced.

"Ready for what?" What the hell was she going to do? Ask me to regurgitate the pills on command?

"Oh, well, what Fi said just reminded me," Annie said.

I impatiently waited for her to continue. She just smiled like a moron. "Reminded you of what?" I asked irritably.

"Oh!" Annie said. "Right. Okay, well, when Conrad gave me the magic pills, and I crushed them and mixed them into your slurpee, I forgot that he still had another pair of pills! One pair was white, and the other was black. I used the black ones before, so I'll just use the white ones now…"

"You needed to ask _Fi _to figure that out?" I nearly screamed.

She giggled. "No, no! I just forgot about it till now when Fi said the opposites thingy. She reminded me. But I knew all along!"

I wanted to kill her, but that would have to wait until after the spell was reversed. "Okay. Fine. I don't care. Where are the pills?" I asked.

"Conrad has them."

Great. "And where's Conrad?" I asked.

"Oh! Well, he's right here, of course," Annie said, reaching down and patting the air. "Hey, pretty kitty. Can I have the white pills, my ittle-wittle panther-anther?" Annie cooed. I shook my head in disgust. Then, suddenly, two white pills materialized in the air, right next to Annie's hand. She made a fist around them and stood up straight. "This is it!" she announced.

I gaped at her with wide eyes. "Wait a second—how did you—where did those come from?"

"Conrad's mouth, silly!" Annie laughed. "Here you go," she said, placing one in my palm. "Sorry it's a little slimy. But don't worry, Conrad doesn't have any germs," she assured me.

"Thanks," I muttered. Sure enough, she was right. The pill _was _kind of slimy. But I didn't want to think about that right now. I would just swallow this pill, and—

"Wait!" Annie shouted.

"What now?" I asked, pulling the pill away from my mouth reluctantly.

"What's the opposite of a slurpee?" Annie asked.

"I don't know, _air?_" I suggested. "Look, the other pills were black, these are white, so I'm sure that's all we need…"

"No, it doesn't feel right," Annie interrupted. "I know! Hot chocolate."

"Hot chocolate?" I asked skeptically. "How do you figure that?"

"Well," she began, "Hot chocolate is hot. Slurpees are cold. Hot chocolate is made with chocolate. Slurpees are made with fruit or soda. Hot chocolate is most common in the winter—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. So we'll just go downstairs, grab some hot chocolate mix, then—"

"Oh, wow! Thanks, Conrad!" Annie interrupted me again. I stared in shock. Two mugs of hot chocolate had suddenly appeared on the carpet.

"How did that—"

Annie giggled. "Conrad _loves _hot chocolate! He has his own cocoa machine," she explained. "And it tastes really, really good, too, because it's _spirit _hot chocolate!"

I sighed. "Yeah… okay. Whatever you say."

"So, are you ready?" Annie asked, handing me my mug.

"Definitely." At the same moment, we both popped the pills in our mouths and took huge gulps of our hot chocolates.

"Carey?" Annie asked. She still stood before me.

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel anything yet?"

"Not really…" I replied, but as the words were leaving my mouth, I felt overcome with a spell of dizziness, and everything became blurrier and blurrier, until I could no longer see at all.


	16. White Tiny Clouds

Chapter Sixteen

"Carey?"

Everything was white. I blinked a few times, and the whiteness began to dissipate until it looked more like tiny clouds of smoke, but still it was all I could see.

"Carey?" the voice called again. I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?"

I blinked again, and slowly the world came into focus. Molly's eyes were peering into mine. She smiled, and I smiled back. "I'm all right," I said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Thank goodness," she replied, pulling me into a deep embrace. I snuggled against her, deeply inhaling the faint scent of her perfume and the freshly-washed cotton of her shirt and the slight trace of mint in her breath.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice beginning to return to its normal strength.

"I'm not sure," she said. "You stumbled down the stairs about twenty minutes ago, started mumbling something about a mango tree, and then complained about a really intense headache. I went to go get you some Tylenol, but when I came back, you had collapsed on the couch and fallen asleep. I thought maybe you fainted, but I was going to wait it out a little longer before calling the doctor…"

"Thanks for taking care of me," I whispered, offering a small smile.

"You're welcome." She smiled back, then hugged me tighter. "I'm glad you're okay."

"So am I," I responded. Boy, was I glad. She had no idea.

A few days passed, and everything was back to normal. Well—almost. Jack and Clu continued to exchange secret glances more frequently, and everyone remained oblivious to their relationship except for Annie and myself. Annie was still acting insane as usual, and was constantly out practicing her ridiculous new songs for the recording studio. She had dyed her hair deep red and insisted that everyone call her Jude, although none of us did. I kind of liked the hair, though. I admit it. I even had a newfound respect for Annie—sort of. I mean, I had lived the world through her eyes, in her shoes, for an entire week.

Still, I was _ecstatic _to be the hell out of there. What a nightmare, seriously.

And of course, my undying affection for the beautiful Molly Phillips continued to go on unrequited. But that's okay. She'll come around eventually. I'm sure of it.

Maybe even tonight.

It was after dinner, and the kids (as I like to call them, since I'm so studly and mature and much older than Molly thinks I am) had all retreated to their bedrooms—well, Annie to Annie's, and Jack and Clu to Jack's (I still don't want to think about that). Molly and I sat on her couch, the same one where I had collapsed a few days ago and she sat by my side waiting for me to recover. I strummed my guitar, and assumed my brooding musician look (what girl can resist?) while she sang and we worked out the basics to her newest song.

"I'm thirsty," she said suddenly. "You want anything?"

"Water is fine," I said. "Thanks."

I watched her as she retreated from the room with delicate grace, and again when she returned. She handed me my glass and sat down beside me with hers. We sipped our beverages in silence. Then I spoke.

"Molly," I said.

"Hm," she replied absent-mindedly, staring into space.

"I've been wanting to tell you…" I began.

She suddenly shifted her gaze and looked me in the eyes. "Yes?"

"What you said the other day," I continued, "about Fi. And how she left because of you. It's not true."

She forced a weak smile. "I wish I could believe that," she murmured.

"Molly, listen to me," I went on, "you shouldn't think like that. I don't think you realize how much everyone cares about you… especially—"

"Molly! Carey! I was looking for you guys!" Annie shouted, instantly appearing in the doorway.

_Especially me,_ I finished silently. God damn it. "Hey, Annie," Molly said warmly, clearly forgetting everything I had just said and was about to say. Damn it, damn it! Ignore everything I said before about respecting Annie. I should have known she would ruin this—who knew when I'd be able to summon up the courage again?

"I need to talk to Carey," Annie said quickly. "It's really important."

"We're in the middle of something," I responded.

"That's fine, we were just taking a break," Molly said at the same time. She then looked at me confusedly. I tried hard not to blush.

"Yeah… okay," Annie replied. She ran over, literally grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the living room and into the kitchen, shutting the door behind us.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded angrily. "Couldn't you see I was in the middle of—"

"Carey, you gotta help me!" Annie nearly shouted. "I'm not Annie! I'm Jack! I got trapped in her body, and she's in mine! I know I probably sound crazy, but I don't know what to do… this is a nightmare!" Annie—or Jack—exclaimed breathlessly. "I'm not sure what set her off, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I left her for Clu…" he babbled.

And I just stood there, speechless, as he continued to ramble on. It was a struggle to stifle my laughter… I'm a horrible person, I know. But still. This was pretty funny.

Here we go again…

THE END


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